Outlet-box.



G. T. PRATT.

OUTLET BOX.

APPLICATION TILED JUNE 7, 1909.

969,805, Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR CHARLES T PRATT @MM /OZ )ZQML BYELZI} Mae UNITED s'rarns rgrnmf OFFICE.

CHARLES T. PRATT, OF FRANKFORT, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR TO THE PRATT CHUCK COMPANY, OF FRANKFORT, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

OUTLET-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 7, 1909.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910. Serial No. 500,522.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES T. PRATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Frankfort, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Outlet- Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to an improved outlet-box, and I declare the following is a full,

clear, concise and exact description thereof,

sufficient to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout.

While the invention relates, in general terms, to an outlet box, it resides, particu larly, in the plug for closing the conduit openings, in the form of the plug, its manner of mounting and the means by which it is seated in the wall of the box. It will be understood that such a plug is to be seated in an opening made in the wall of the box, at such point as is desired, the seating of the plug to be such that it may be easily dislodged in case the conduit is to pass into the box at that given point but also so that the plug will stay in place when desired.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of such a box. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the plug and a portion of the box wall and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a plug with a part of the adjacent wall, taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A represents a box, here shown as of metal drawn into suitable size and form, provided with ears 6 adapted to receive screws 0 to secure the cover or eseutcheon.

The walls 1 of the box, and bottom also, have'outlets 2 cut at a variety of points, as desired to form passage-way for the cables or wires. To close these openings I provide a plug 5 of circular form and of a thickness substantially that of thewall of the box. The peripheral wall of the plug is slightly oblique to the plane of the plug body so that the plug is slightly tapering in form, from one face to the other, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. At the edge ofthe plug and from each face projects a ridge or wall 7 which gives the plug a greater thickness at which insures its perfect seating.

It will be seen that the plug is inserted.

into the opening, preferably from the inside, with its smaller face outward. The extent of the bearing surface of the plug on the box wall allows for perfect and tight seating of the plug. The plug is retained in place by upsetting, at given points, a portion of the rim on the smaller face of the plug, forming the lugs 10 which lap over and onto the face of the box wall.

-While I have spoken of the portion which thus 'la ps over onto the surface of the boxwall as a ridge which is shown as extending around the plug, it is evident that this member need not extend around the plug, but in its simplest form need be no more than a nub or other projection from the plug proper to provide material for the lugs to be forced into place to engage the box-wall. It is also clear that the rim on. the opposite face of the plug need not be continuous, but may exist only at given points, or may, in fact, be omitted entirely. The object 15 to provide a plug with sufiicient bearing surfaces, from one face to the other, to insure the firm seating of the plug and to provide material to be upset for the wall engaging members.

The composition of the plug is such that r it may be readily removed by a blow on its smaller face.

Having described my invention. what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters .Patent, is:

1. A plug for an outlet box formed of a disk of slightly larger diameter than the aperture to be closed. the edge of the disk being upset to provide a flange on each side of the disk and formed on a plane oblique to that of the disk face, one face being of less diameter than that of the aperture to be closed whereby the disk may be passed partly through the aperture and certain parts of the flange be upset to retain the disk in place, substantially as described.

2. In an outlet-box, a closure member consisting of a disk having oppositely-extending peripheral flanges, the latter lying BEST AVAILABLE COPY 23 sswaam in the sam'plah and fdmiing' a section of shim the aperture and means to retain the a cone. plug in place. 10 3. In an outlet-box, ap ertured for c0 n- In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature,

diiitg'a plu'g'for said aperture consisting of in presencepi two Witnesses a disk having oppositely-extending periph- CHARLES T. PRATT. eral flanges which lie in acommon plane Witnesses:

and form a section of a, cone, one end of the HENRY M. LOVE,

section beingwider an d the other narrower ELEANOR T. DE GIORGL 

